Li Ming felt a little embarrassed by the compliment, and puffed out his chest, showing a rare confidence:
"Hey, Old Yuan, you don't understand. If you ask me to work to earn work points, then I really can't do it, but when it comes to raising animals, I, Li Ming, am second to none, and no one dares to claim first place!"
At this point, his tone dropped again, and he rubbed his hands, looking somewhat lonely:
"But... I'm just a good cook, but I can't cook without rice. I'm an orphan, raised in the village eating at many houses. It's a good thing that I can help Brother Changyuan pick these good dogs, but what will these pups eat after they're weaned? They can't just eat rice porridge every day, right? The dogs they raise will be like sickly children, how can they go hunting in the mountains?"
Chen Changyuan understood as soon as he heard it. Li Ming was finding different ways to ask for his help.
When raising hunting dogs, meat is essential. These days, meat is a precious commodity. How can Li Ming, an orphan, afford to feed so many mouths?
"Mingzi, stop beating around the bush,"
Chen Changyuan smiled heartily and patted Li Ming on the shoulder. "I'll take care of these puppies tomorrow. You don't have to worry about the meat."
When Li Ming heard this, his eyes widened:
"Brother Changyuan, this... this is so embarrassing! This meat is so expensive!"
"What's so expensive?"
Chen Changyuan waved his hand.
"I hunted so many prey in the mountains that we couldn't finish them all at home, so it's just the right thing for these little guys to eat. Don't be polite with me, kid. You help me choose the dogs, and I'll take care of their food and drink. Isn't that just natural?" He paused and added:
"Just feed them well every day and train them well. You don't have to worry about anything else!"
Li Ming's face lit up with joy, and he rubbed his hands excitedly:
"Hey! Brother Changyuan, don't worry, I will definitely train them into the most powerful hunting dogs!"
Old Yuan was listening at the side and felt itchy in his heart. He came up to Li Ming and asked with a smile:
"Mingzi, look, even though I'm old, I'd like to raise some hunting dogs. Could you help me find some?"
Li Ming looked embarrassed and scratched his head:
"Old Yuan, it's not that I don't want to help you. I've looked at all the dogs in the surrounding villages, and these are the only ones that meet your requirements. If you really want to raise one, you'll probably have to wait for a while."
When the old man heard this, he was disappointed and sighed:
"Well, that's true. It's not that easy to find a good dog."
Seeing this, Chen Changyuan smiled and said:
"Don't be impatient, old man. Wait until this litter of puppies gives birth, and then you can pick them out first. I promise to pick out some good ones for you!"
When the old man heard this, he immediately smiled and nodded repeatedly:
"Okay, okay, then it's settled! In the long run, you're still a very considerate guy!"
After solving the problem of the puppy, Chen Changyuan and Lao Yuantou continued on their journey.
Along the way, the old man couldn't stop thinking about those puppies. He looked back from time to time and kept muttering:
"I wonder what these little guys will look like when they grow up. Can they help me catch that old fox..."
Chen Changyuan couldn't help but smile when he saw Lao Yuantou's childish look.
He knew that Lao Yuantou had always been thinking about the old fox that stole his chickens. This time, having a hunting dog could be considered as fulfilling one of his wishes.
Because of the dog's promise, Lao Yuantou walked briskly ahead with his cane, turning back from time to time to remind Chen Changyuan:
"Changyuan, you have to be alert when you go up the mountain tomorrow. That old fox is not someone you can easily mess with. Be careful!"
Chen Changyuan smiled and replied:
"Don't worry, old man, I know what's going on."
After saying goodbye to Lao Yuantou, Chen Changyuan returned home in the twilight.
When I pushed open the gate, I saw my mother Fang Suxia sitting in the yard mending clothes. In the dim light, her thin figure looked even more frail.
"Mom, I'm back."
Fang Suxia looked up when she heard the voice, and when she saw it was her son, a smile immediately broke out on her face:
"Changyuan is back. Are you tired? Come inside and have a rest."
Chen Changyuan walked over to his mother, took out the brand new hunting rifle from behind his back, and handed it to her:
"Mom, look, my new hunting rifle!"
Fang Suxia took the hunting rifle and examined it carefully, her eyes full of surprise:
"Oh, this gun is so beautiful, much better than the one you had last time!"
She stroked the gun as if it were a treasure. "This must have cost a lot of money, right?"
Chen Changyuan said casually:
"It didn't cost much, but sharpening the knife doesn't delay the chopping of wood..."
"Chopping wood is so tiring, kid..."
Fang Suxia sighed distressedly, then seemed to remember something and asked:
"By the way, are you going hunting in the mountains with Old Yuantou tomorrow?"
Chen Changyuan nodded: "Yes, Lao Yuantou said there are many wild boars in the mountains and wanted me to go with him."
A trace of worry flashed across Fang Suxia's face:
"It's dangerous in the mountains, you have to be careful."
She knew her son's temper, and that he would not easily change his mind once he made up his mind, so she had no choice but to warn him:
"Tomorrow, Mom will bake you some big pancakes to eat on the road. You can't just eat meat. You have to pair them with some pancakes made of refined rice and flour to give you strength."
"Okay, thank you, Mom!" Chen Changyuan felt warm in his heart.
Fang Suxia got up and went into the kitchen. She opened the noodle jar and was stunned.
"Oh, we've run out of refined rice and flour..."
She rummaged through boxes and drawers, and finally pulled out a stack of food coupons from a drawer. She clutched them tightly in her hand and gritted her teeth.
"Wait for a long time, mother will go and exchange food for you!"
Fang Suxia held the food coupons tightly in her hand and trotted all the way to the grain exchange station in the village.
She was anxious.
I have to quickly exchange it for refined rice and white flour so that my son can have a full meal when he goes up the mountain tomorrow.
The grain exchange station is located next to the village committee, in a low brick house. A faded wooden sign hangs at the door with the words "Grain Exchange Station" written crookedly on it.
Before Fang Suxia entered the door, she heard a burst of hearty laughter mixed with Wang Cuifen's sharp voice.
When I pushed the door open, a damp smell mixed with food and sweat hit me in the face.
There was only one counter in the room, and behind the counter sat a fat woman, who was Wang Cuifen.
She was chatting and laughing with another villager, skillfully moving the abacus beads in her hands.
Wang Cuifen and Fang Suxia have never gotten along, not only because their children were swapped with the wrong ones.
There is one other thing.
When they were young, they both pursued the village handsome man Chen Dazhuang, but in the end Chen Dazhuang chose Fang Suxia, which became a thorn in Wang Cuifen's heart.
On ordinary days, when the two meet, they are bound to engage in verbal battles, and open and covert struggles are commonplace.
When she saw Fang Suxia come in, the smile on Wang Cuifen's face disappeared instantly, replaced by a look of contempt.
She glanced at Fang Suxia and said in a sarcastic tone:
"Hey, isn't this the daughter-in-law of the Chen family? What brings you here? What a rare guest!"
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